First TGV Land Speed Record (2007)
Operation V150, where 150 again refers to a target speed in metres per second, was a series of high-speed trials carried out on the LGV Est prior to its June 2007 opening. The…
The Lanzhou–Xinjiang High-Speed Railway is Officially put into Operation in China (2014)
The Lanzhou–Xinjiang high-speed railway, also known as Lanzhou–Xinjiang Passenger Railway or Lanxin Second Railway is a high-speed railroad in Northwestern China from Lanzhou in Gansu Province to Ürümqi in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. It forms part of what China designates the Eurasia Continental Bridge corridor, a domestic…
First Eurostar Passenger Trains Use Channel Tunnel (1994)
Eurostar is an international high-speed rail service in Western Europe, connecting Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom through the Channel Tunnel. The service is operated by the Eurostar Group which was formed from the merger of Eurostar, which operated trains…
Clay Street Hill Railroad is First Operated (1873)
The Clay Street Hill Railroad was the first successful cable hauled street railway. It was located on Clay Street, a notably steep street in San Francisco in California, United States,…
The First Line of the Paris Metro Opens (1900)
The Paris Métro, short for Métropolitain, is a rapid transit system serving the Paris metropolitan area in France. A symbol of the city, it is known for its density within…
The Orient Express Leaves Paris for the First Time (1883)
The Orient Express was a long-distance passenger luxury train service created in 1883 by the Belgian company Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits (CIWL) that operated until 2009. The train travelled the…
Transcontinental Express Arrives in San Fransisco (1876)
As a publicity stunt, the express train called the Transcontinental Express arrived in San Francisco, California, via the first transcontinental railroad on 4 June 1876, only 83 hours and 39…
The Channel Tunnel is Opened (1994)
The history of the Eurostar brand can be traced to the choice in 1986 of a rail tunnel to provide a cross-channel link between Britain and France. A previous attempt…
First Passenger Railway is Established (1807)
The Swansea and Mumbles Railway was the venue for the world’s first passenger horsecar railway service, located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. Originally built under an act of Parliament of…
Canadian Pacific Railway is incorporated (1881)
The Canadian Pacific Railway is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated on the 16th of February 1881, 144 years ago. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited,…
Budd unveils first self-propelled diesel multiple unit railcar (1978)
Budd unveiled the first SPV-2000, a self-propelled diesel multiple unit railcar, in Philadelphia on February 9th, 1978, and then sent it on a demonstration tour around the United States. The…